LOS ANGELES — As the scuffling Mets open a four-game series against the Dodgers tonight, Jason Bay finds himself on the bench hoping to find some answers.

“One day off will only clear your head a little bit,” Bay said. “Then you have to go out there after that. It’s straight battle mode all the time. It’s just not comfortable.”

With his 0-for-6 performance that included four strikeouts in the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks in 14 innings Wednesday night, Bay was batting .169 (10-for-59) in July with two extra-base hits. His six homers this season were far removed from his pace last season, when he hit 36 for the Red Sox.

About the only contribution Bay has made since the All-Star break was scoring the go-ahead run Sunday in San Francisco on Ike Davis’ RBI double in the 10th inning. It allowed the Mets to escape with a 4-3 victory – their only victory in seven games on this road trip, entering tonight.

“I am somewhat surprised [by Bay],” manager Jerry Manuel said. “I really thought this was kind of a good opportunity to get away from the pressures, the anxiety he has when he’s in New York. I thought he would get out here on the west coast and take off.

“I’m really somewhat baffled at the struggles he’s having. But he has enough of the season left to put together a good streak.”

Manuel has been repeating that line for weeks. It hasn’t helped that the rest of the Mets’ lineup has been largely anemic since the team finished a stretch of interleague games on June 27.

Angel Pagan has been a consistent performer, but Davis, David Wright, Jeff Francoeur and Rod Barajas have all slumped. The Mets enter tonight having scored three runs or fewer in 10 of their previous 12 games.

Manuel will stick with Bay because of the player’s track record. But at some point Bay could find himself as part of the platoon mix if he doesn’t start producing. That could mean Pagan seeing playing time in left with Francoeur in right, provided the Mets don’t deal Francoeur before the trading deadline.

The normally mellow Bay has become more animated lately, throwing his bat on occasion and wearing the frustration on his face.

“You deal with a little adversity, a lot of adversity, and it tests you a little bit,” Bay said. “But I’m doing things the way I know how, and that’s try to be the same guy and keep